


Trust

by DragonGirl420



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: F/M, daryl dixon - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-18
Updated: 2018-02-18
Packaged: 2019-03-20 18:22:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,865
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13723398
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DragonGirl420/pseuds/DragonGirl420
Summary: Request: [Daryl Dixon x Reader] by anonymous asked: Would you please write a Daryl x Reader story about Daryl finding the reader wandering the woods, dirty and alone. She’d been out there alone for so long she’s scared of him at first but back at Alexandria, she’s glued to his side and wary of everyone else.





	Trust

**Author's Note:**

> Warnings: Language, lil fluff  
> Words: 4858

You needed to go out to find food, but knowing how many of the dead were around left you frozen and huddled in the corner. Yesterday you got as far as the edge of the treelined forest before completely losing your nerve. The one small knife you’d manage to keep was gripped in your hand, but one groan from an unknown direction was enough to send you running into your flimsy shelter.

Today you had to go. You hadn’t eaten in nearly four days, water was gone since the night before. Your clothes hadn’t been replaced for over a month and whatever resolve you had to keep going was fading fast.

Opening the door to the garden shed, you took the small hoe as a backup and quietly made your way towards the path that lead to the closest neighborhood. Creeping up on the backyard of a small white house, you were so focused on trying to stay clear of the dead, you didn’t see the man following you.

Two roamers came around the corner of the privacy fence, causing you to stumble backwards and fall on your ass. Before they could get another lumbering step closer, two bolts flew past your head, dropping each one to the ground.

“You alright?” a gruff voice asked from behind you.

Scrambling to your feet, you backed up against the fence as you took in the stranger. He had long hair that obscured most of his face. His clothes were clean, but not free of wear and tear. In one hand he held a crossbow, the other hovered over a holster attached to his hip.

“Hey,” his hand moved away from the gun and asked again, “you alright?”

When you didn’t answer, he took a step back seeing the need you had for some space. Your body relaxed a little when he added some distance, but you didn’t take your eyes off him for a second.

“You got a place to stay?”

You shook your head slightly and quickly glanced back towards the woods. He nodded as if he understood.

“I come from somewhere that takes people in,” he said, watching you closely, “I’d just have to ask ya a few questions. That alright?”

“Ok,” you finally spoke, causing him to twitch a smile.

“Ok… How many walkers you killed?”

“I – I’ve lost count.”

“How many people?”

Sighing, you met his eyes and tried to stand up straighter, “Two.”

“Why?”

“Because they wanted to kill me first.”

He seemed to contemplate your answers and after a minute gave you a shrug. “Good enough for me… I’m Daryl. You got a name?”

“Y/N,” you said quietly, starting to feel slightly at ease with him.

“You wanna come back with me Y/N? We got walls, food, houses… you can get cleaned up. You’ll be safe there.”

Before you could answer, the snap of a twig from your left had you grabbing at your knife and turning quickly to defend yourself. Daryl raised his crossbow and pointed it in the direction of the sound, but quickly lowered it when a man came from around the other end of the fence.

He had short, wavy hair, and his clothes were extremely neat and clean. With his hands raised, he smiled at the stranger who saved you and casted a look in your direction.

“You found her!” he said to Daryl, excitement all over his face as he took a step towards you. “We’ve been looking for you for a few days now.”

Daryl saw you recoil from him and stepped between you and the other man. “She’s a little scared Aaron. Guessin’ she’s been out here a while. Let’s head back, if she’s comin’, I’ll ride with her, alright?”

“Yeah, of course. I’m just,” he paused and looked around Daryl at you, “I’m just glad Daryl found you. I’ll head out to the car and meet you there.”

Daryl nodded at him and when he was gone, turned back to you. “Ready? Do you need to go get of your stuff? Any shit you left behind in the shed?”

Your eyes snapped back to his face, wide with surprise, “You know about the shed?”

“Yeah, we saw you there yesterday, but I didn’t want to scare ya,” he took a tentative step forward and reached out a hand to you. “It’s alright, Y/N, we ain’t gonna hurt ya.”

“People told me that before,” you said trying to decide if you trusted him enough to go with them.

“The ones that tried to kill ya?”

You nodded.

“I can promise ya, I ain’t gonna try anythin’. The people where I’m from, they’re good people. We do what we gotta do to survive, but otherwise, shit’s like it was before. Just livin’ and survivin’ together,” his hand was still stretched to you, “you comin’?”

“Yeah, ok,” you stepped forward but didn’t take his hand. Keeping one hand hovering over the small knife on your belt, the other still holding the garden hoe, you carefully followed Daryl to where his friend Aaron waited with the car and the bike.

“We should make it back by nightfall if we take route twenty-two back,” Aaron said as Daryl approached, a smile unfolding across his kind face when he saw you behind his friend.

“Alright,” Daryl mumbled and fixed his crossbow to his bike.

“You can ride with me if you like,” Aaron offered, motioning toward the car and shook his head with a laugh. “I’m sorry, where are my manners… I’m Aaron,” he held out a hand and when you didn’t move he looked to Daryl then back to you. Slowly retracting his hand, he gave you a nod, “I get it, you don’t know us. I’d be wary of us too, but as I am sure Daryl explained, our community is safe. You’ll be able to be live there without worry.”

He was kind, but you didn’t quite trust him yet. Taking a step back towards Daryl, you looked at him from the corner of your eye, then at his bike.

“You wanna ride or drive?” he mounted the bike and pulled a pair of sunglasses from his inner pocket.

“Ride,” you said just loud enough for him to hear you.

“Alright, but you’re gonna have to let me hold your knife till we get home. You good with that?”

You unstrapped your knife without hesitation and handed it to him. He tucked it away in his front jeans pocket and motioned for you to hop on. Throwing a glance to Aaron, Daryl held up a hand in a wave and accelerated forward.

* * *

The ride to the community took far longer than expected. When you rode up to the high walls, and the gate rolled opened, you were stunned by what you saw inside. A large, paved community with big homes, townhouses and a slew of people going about everyday life. You watched it all in amazement as Daryl maneuvered the bike inside, closely followed by Aaron in the large Buick.

Parking the bike, Daryl killed the engine and hopped off. Offering you a hand, he assisted you off the bike and made sure you had your footing under you before letting go.

“Gonna have to meet Rick and Deanna, ok? They’re good people, the just wanna ask you some more questions.”

“Can you stay? I mean, while they ask?” You were beyond scared at the idea of having to meet new people and stand up to their scrutiny. Somehow, having this man you just met near calmed your nerves.

Daryl bit his lip and nodded slightly. “Don’t see why not. C’mon, let’s go see ‘em now. Sooner that’s done, sooner we can get you a place to get cleaned up and have a proper meal.”

* * *

Deanna’s home was large and ornate. Books and expensive knick-knacks lined nearly every shelf, and the small, dynamic woman filled the rest of the room with her general presence. Daryl introduced you to both Deanna and Rick who remained in the kitchen during the interview. He leaned back against the island with his arms crossed over his chest, his eyes fixed on you.

Daryl stood in the doorway between the entry and the sitting room, one foot kicked over the other, his arms also crossed. His gaze floated between you, Deanna and Rick as if trying to monitor the interview.

“So,” Deanna started with a politician’s smile, “tell me about yourself, Y/N. What did you do before the outbreak?”

“I, uh, I had just opened my practice up north…”

“Practice? Were you a doctor?” she asked.

“No, a vet.”

“Oh, well, that’s still a great skill and knowledge set that will come in handy here.” Deanna smiled and motioned for you to continue.

Looking around nervously at Deanna and then Rick, you felt the panic rise and your words disappeared in the dryness of your throat.

“I came back this way to check on my family, but they were gone. Since then, I’ve just bounced around.”

“You didn’t have a group?” Rick asked from the kitchen.

“No, I thought I was safer alone,” you answered but looked over at Daryl, who’d been watching you like a hawk. “I tried once, and the men… they did terrible things. Tried to…”

“It’s ok,” Deanna said, “you don’t have to explain. I think we all understand.”

She stood and walked around the coffee table, sitting on the edge so she was within arm’s reach of you. You sat back in the chair to create more space, and from the corner of your eye, you noticed Daryl take a step forward. His body took on a defensive stance, and you thought for a second he was worried you’d attack Deanna.

“Listen, Y/N, you’ve been out there a long time. It’s going to take a while for you to adjust to life here in Alexandria. But I promise you, we have nothing but good intentions. Let’s get you a place to stay, and I’ll have one of the girls from the pantry bring you everything you’ll need to get settled in.”

“Thank you,” you replied meekly, “you’re all very kind.”

“Rick, can we put Y/N in the townhouses, number 213?”

“Nah, she can stay with me,” Daryl spoke up, “if you want too. I can show her around, help her get settled.”

“Maybe just for a day or two,” you looked up and met his eyes. Daryl smiled and nodded for you to follow him. The idea of being alone in a large space felt foreign and unnerving. You’d gotten used to the night sky and sleeping with one eye open. Being alone in a strange house wasn’t something you felt ready for.

“Alright then, I’ll have Jesse or Olivia bring some essentials to Daryl’s place soon. Some new clothes too.” Deanna added as she walked you and Daryl to the front door.

“Thanks,” Daryl said and opened the large wooden door for you to walk through.

“Welcome to Alexandria!” Deanna called out before the door closed behind you.

* * *

A day or two had turned into nearly a week of staying with Daryl. Anytime he left the house, you went with him. He walked you to the pantry anytime you wanted to go. When he had to go hunt, you were right there by his side. Going out of the walls in the first couple days helped relieve a little of the anxiety you had while within them.  

The day before Rick had come by to get Daryl, and as politely as possible asked you to stay behind.

“I’ll be back soon, alright?”

“Mmhmm,” you said, unable to look at his face for fear he’d see how scared you were to be alone.

“I can stay if you need me to.”

“No, it’s silly,” you shook your head and sighed. “I’m fine, really. I need to be able to be ok and adjust to this on my own. You’ve done more than enough for me Daryl.”

“Well, I just know what it’s like and it ain’t easy to adjust to all this. ‘Specially when you were out in that for as long as you were.”

“I’ll get there,” you smiled, finally able to meet his blue eyes, “thanks though, you’ve done a lot for me…”

“Stop,” he said, taking a step closer to you, “it’s what we do.” Daryl paused and placed a hand on your shoulder before leaving to meet up with Rick. It was the first time he touched you where you didn’t reflexively flinch away.

On the morning of the seventh day, you figured you’d wore out your welcome when he was gone before the sunrise, having only left a note on the counter that said, “ _Be back in a day or two_.”

Daryl’s was the only place you felt comfortable so far. A few of the others around the community had been friendly, but you never completely felt ok, until you were back in his space. Seeing the note sent a wave a dread through your stomach, but you knew it was probably for the best.

Gathering up your things, you threw it all in the backpack that Olivia had brought you, and walked to Deanna’s front door. Greeting you with a large grin, you explained that you were ready to move into your own place if she was still offering.

“Of course! Let me just get my jacket and I will walk you on over,” Deanna said and within minutes you were entering the front door of your new home.

* * *

The first night there was unnerving. The unnatural quiet of the townhouse was far too loud for you to be able to sleep. At least outdoors there was the chirp of crickets and owls and at Daryl’s… well, he was there. You could hear his soft snoring coming from the couch down the hall, and that seemed to be enough to help you fall asleep.

Digging around in the care package that Olivia had brought you, you came across a small bottle of wine that you passed over before. Unsure of how else to fall asleep, you greedily downed the bottle and relished in the speed with which it hit your head. It didn’t take long for you to crawl into your bed and pass out.

You woke the next morning feeling tired and slightly pissed at yourself for thinking the wine was a good idea. Sitting up in bed, you heard a loud knock at the front door. You shambled down the hallway and slowly opened it, shielding your eyes from the morning sun that smacked you in the face.

“What the hell?” you heard before you could focus on the early morning caller.

“What?” moving your head to see beyond the blinding light, Daryl was in front of you with his hands on his hips brows raised questioningly at you.

“Hi, you’re back,” you tried to smile, but the pounding was now transferred from the door to your head.

“Yeah, and you were gone,” Daryl was annoyed, but you could see he was trying to keep calm. “Can I come in?”

You moved aside for him to enter. When he looked around, he saw the empty bottle on the counter and the mess of pantry supplies Deanna sent.

“I can see you got your care package,” he scoffed, shaking his head. “This why you look like shit?” he picked up the bottle and examined just how much you drank.

“You’re pissed… why?”

“Why? Cause you left while I was gone, no note, no nothin’,” Daryl stopped fidgeting about the kitchen and looked at you. “I thought maybe you left for good.”

“Oh shit, I’m sorry Daryl. I—I saw your note and I thought maybe you needed a break from me or something. I know I’ve been a little clingy since I got here…”

“You’re fine, Y/N. I didn’t mind helpin’ ya get settled in,” Daryl shrugged in indifference, but his expression told you a different story; he looked hurt.

“I used to be really independent Daryl, a little too much so I guess, depending on who you asked. But being out there alone for so long, it fucks with you after a while. You were the first human I’d seen in months, so I sorta attached myself to you.”

You came further into the room and sat down at one of the stools at the counter. Resting your throbbing head in your hands, you eventually looked up at him and shrugged. “I didn’t mean to upset you.”

“Yeah, I know. Just came back and thought you were gone.”

“At least you wouldn’t have to feel responsible for me any longer,” you snorted a nervous laugh and was afraid to meet his gaze that you focused on you.

Daryl picked up the wine bottle again and shook it slightly in jest, “Someone’s gotta be.” He picked up the bookbag you had left on the counter and dug to the bottom, pulling out a small bottle of aspirin. He opened it up and shook two out, handing them to you.

You took them gratefully and watched Daryl move about the kitchen getting you a glass of water.

“Here, take ‘em,” he nudged as he handed you the glass. Daryl watched you take the aspirin and then handed you a hunk of bread wrapped in a cheesecloth from the pantry supplies. “Now eat,” he said breaking off a piece and laying it front of you.

“You don’t have to do this Daryl,” you said but loved that he was.

“You’re gonna feel like shit, today,” he said ignoring you and going back to the food on the counter.

“Daryl…”

“Eat, then shower, I’ll get some coffee on for ya,” he continued over you as he turned back to the middle counter.

You reached across and grabbed his arm to get his attention. “Hey, you don’t have to do this. It was my dumb fault for drinking so much.”

“Just let me, alright. Now go shower.”

You met Daryl’s eyes and noticed for the first time just how blue they really were. He had his hair out of his face that morning, and when you got a good look at just how they were gazing at you, a swirl of butterflies took off in your stomach.

“Ok,” was all that would come out as you got up from the stool. Daryl went about sorting the food as you did as you were told and took a blessedly hot shower.

* * *

As you stepped out of the stall and got dressed, the most delicious smell filled up the house. Between the aspirin and the shower itself, your head was starting to quiet. The second your nose caught the scent of sizzling meat your stomach flipped and you felt ravenously hungry.

“Hey,” you said walking into the kitchen

Daryl grunted a hello without looking up. He was too concentrated on the bit of venison cooking in front of him. A minute later he slipped it out of the pan and onto a plate with a helping of potatoes.

“Here, eat,” he said pushing it in front of you.

“Yes, sir,” you said and gave him a mocking salute.

Cutting into the food, you found yourself devouring it faster than you intended. The uneasiness of your stomach finally started to settle, and the headache was completely gone.

“Thank you, really. I’d probably still be in bed right now if you didn’t come along.”

“Mhmm,” he put the pan in the sink and wiped his hands on the towel hanging from the stove.

“I never guessed you for the domesticated type,” you chuckled as he cleaned up the utensils he used.

“I ain’t, trust me. But cooking a damn steak is no big deal. Besides, you needed to eat and I ain’t seen ya cook since you got here.”

“It’s because I suck at it,” you shrugged.

“Well, maybe then you wanna come to Aaron’s house with me tonight for dinner?” Daryl asked, his tone tentative as he nervously fidgeted with his hands.

His invitation came unexpectedly and nearly knocked the wind out of you. The idea of spending more time with him was a welcome distraction, but the idea of being around other people from the community had not completely set in yet.

“Dinner at Aaron’s?” you repeated and drew in a deep breath.

“If you’re not up to it, I get it. He’s just been after me to bring ya over,” Daryl chewed on his bottom lip, and you felt the butterflies tickling your insides again.

“Yeah, its fine… let’s go to dinner at Aaron’s,” you said accepting the invitation, but swallowed hard at the image of trying to hold yourself together around others.

* * *

Just as the sun was starting to set, Daryl knocked on your door for the second time that day. You stopped to take one last look in the small hallway mirror before answering it. Since he had left that morning, you spent most of the day trying to find something that looked decent enough for an apocalyptic dinner party.

In the spare bedroom closet of the house, you found a bunch of clothes and even several in your size. Settling on a black off the shoulder blouse and pair of blue jeans and boots, you swept your hair up off your neck and put on a touch of lipstick that you’d found in the medicine cabinet.

When you opened the door, you were still nervously fidgeting with your clothes. But one look at him standing on your porch, you couldn’t help but stop and smile at Daryl. For the first time since you’d met him, he wasn’t wearing his winged vest. He had on a pair of clean and tear-free blue jeans with his black biker boots and a long-sleeved black button-down shirt. The ends of his hair were still wet from being washed, the wild locks brushed back from his face.

“Hi,” you said finally, realizing you’d been staring.

“Ready?” he asked, his voice cracked as he took in the full sight of you. “You, uh, you clean up real nice.”

“Thanks, you too,” your nerves were getting the better of you, but you were starting to realize most of them now stemmed from being around Daryl and not so much about having dinner with the strangers in the community.

* * *

The walk to Aaron and Eric’s house took only a minute, but you found yourself growing increasingly more edgy with each step you took. Standing on the porch, Daryl could sense your unease and took your hand in his without a word.

As you waited for your hosts to open the door, Daryl took your hand and gave your fingers a squeeze. “You’ll be alright, I promise. They’re good guys. Besides, Aaron makes some mean spaghetti,” he smirked and glanced at you out of the corner of his eye.

When you turned to look at him, he snorted a nervous laugh and shook his head. When your eyes met his after that, you found it hard to look away and he seemed to be having the same problem.

As the front door opened, Aaron’s welcoming smile was met by you and Daryl gazing at each other curiously. Your hand was still in his, and you felt his finger begin to lightly rub against your palm, which sent a bolt of heat straight through you and causing your heart to flutter. Neither of you noticed him standing in the doorway.

Clearing his throat, Aaron got you to break the awkward gaze and turn your attention to him. “I’m so glad you came! Please, come on it, Eric’s got everything all ready to eat. And, he’s extremely excited because he grabbed the last bottle of red from the pantry. So, please indulge him, he’s been planning this meal all day.”

* * *

Dinner wasn’t as intense and unnerving as you imagined it was going to be. You found both Aaron and Eric’s company to be incredibly easy-going and welcoming. If you didn’t know better, you’d swear life was normal and that the undead wasn’t roaming the earth.

The men did most of the talking, and you were even surprised by how much Daryl contributed to their conversations. Once you were midway through the meal, you started to feel more comfortable talking and joining them in a discussion.

Eric picked up the bottle of red and offered it to you when he saw your glass was empty. Waving him off you chuckled into your napkin as you wiped your face.

“No, thank you, Eric. I had my fill last night, I think I should keep it at a two glass max this evening.”

“Well, you are no fun!” Eric laughed and refilled Daryl’s than Aaron’s glasses. “At least this one will have one or two,  _or five_ , glasses too many!” He winked at his husband, which earned him a scolding look from Aaron.

“Well, I don’t want to be the party pooper, so, alright, one more then,” you said, feeling a small smile building on your lips. Eric refilled your glass far more than halfway and you were suddenly glad there was more aspirin on the counter at home.

Once dinner was done and cleared, you and Daryl each drank another half glass of wine before calling it a night. It may have been the alcohol or the good company, but all the insecurities and fear of the people of Alexandria began to slip away.

Daryl stumbled slightly over the curb and you couldn’t help but laugh. “I guess it’s my turn to take care of your drunk ass,” you teased as you caught up to him.

“I ain’t drunk, just…” Daryl trailed for a second, “Shit. I’m drunk.” He ran a hand over his stubble and shook his head.

“Now who needs someone to look over them?”

“Nah, I can handle my shit,” he said as he zig-zagged towards his small porch. “Wait… no, I gotta walk you home first.”

“I’ll be fine, go to bed Daryl, you are shitfaced,” you said standing in the middle of the road. “Thanks for taking me for dinner. We’ll have to do it again some time.”

As you turned to go, you felt an arm on your shoulder. “Wait,” he said, turning you around.

“You should just stay here. I mean, I got the room, and we can conserve energy and shit,” he looked at you hopefully, causing drunk you to grin like an idiot.

“Fuck… what? No, I mean…  _shit_ ,” you said, and then laughed. “That’s not what I meant to say, at all,” a fit of laughter doubled you over and you tried to catch your breath.  

“You’re drunk,” he teased as he slipped his arms around you to hold you up.

Being so close to Daryl, you couldn’t help but take in a deep breath of his him. The mixture of leather and sweet soap caused a long-thought dead feeling to bubble up from deep inside.

“C’mon, let’s get ya home,” Daryl said as he draped your arm over his shoulders and neck.

Supporting each other while walking, you made it back to the townhouse and both looked up at the stairs.

“Fuck,” he growled, “see, if ya hadn’t left, we wouldn’t have to deal with stairs.”

“I can make it from here Daryl, take your drunk ass home,” you took your arm off his shoulders and took the first step up before turning around. Being eye level with him made it more difficult to just turn and go.

Seeing Daryl drunk with his own defenses down, made you feel like maybe you could lower yours as well. Leaning in, you kissed his cheek and lingered for a few extra seconds. His face was flushed red all the way up to the tips of his ears that peaked from his long hair.

“See you soon?” you asked as you pulled away from him.

“Mmhmm,” he nodded, “someone’s gonna have to get your hungover ass outta bed tomorrow and feed ya.”

“And that’s gonna be you?” you teased and took another step up towards the door.

Daryl placed a hand on the railings on each side of the steps. He put one boot up on the first step and pulled himself up trying to stay as steady as possible.

He was eye level with you again, and dangerously close, “Who else is gonna?”

“True,” you mused and smiled at him. “So, I guess I’ll see you in the morning?”

“Mmhmm, you will.” It was his turn to lean into you and leave a lingering kiss on your cheek. “Night, Y/N,” he whispered before stepping back down to the sidewalk.

As you watched him walk away, you reconsidered calling him and asking him to stay. But with all the wine you drank and the buzz of a fun night with real people, whatever was left of your rational mind held you back.

“See you tomorrow,” you said quietly and when he turned the corner, you found your way up the steps to your home; Daryl’s face firmly set in your mind as you drifted off to sleep.


End file.
